MEDAL: Killing ISIS with entrenching tools? Yes, please

Command Sgt. Major John Troxell, the senior enlisted adviser to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, carried a shovel with him as he spoke to troops over the holidays about killing the Islamic State. Over the decades, the entrenching tool has served as a lethal weapon for forces. (Department of Defense)

When it’s time to kill the enemy, use what you got. It could mean “dropping bombs on them, shooting them in the face, or beating them to death with our entrenching tools.”

Troxell, the top enlisted adviser for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, directed these words to ISIS scum. To his credit, he gave them the option of surrendering. But that seems unlikely, and there are plenty of troops more than happy to go with Plan B.

In his message, shared via social media, Troxell succeeded in rousing the troops and boosting morale. His plainspoken prose even evokes the master of quotation, Gen. Jim Mattis.